Maybe we've been going about this all wrong. Navigant Research says a recently introduced program in Connecticut that incentivizes dealers instead of EV customers could be effective because it changes the pressure points for electric vehicles. Navigant (formerly Pike) Research notes that the policy could push dealers to put a little more effort into marketing plug-in vehicles that have, in many cases, taken a back seat to more conventional vehicles largely because explaining the technology behin

Last year, about one percent of Georgia's new vehicles were battery-electric, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported last month and Atlanta was a Nissan Leaf hotspot for many months. Sales were likely helped by the fact that neighboring states like South Carolina and Tennessee had lower EV incentives.

The number 13 may be considered bad fortune for the superstitious, but it's the year '14 when plug-in vehicle drivers who had been looking to get a little extra tax love from the federal government will really feel out of luck. The clock is ticking through the end of the month (and the year) on two policies aimed to spur electric-vehicle adoption. Both received one-year renewals last January as part of a budget compromise but are unlikely to get another reprieve because of ongoing contentiousnes

It's no secret that when it comes to promoting more efficient transportation, the current administration in Washington is all about batteries and plugs – pretty much to the exclusion of all else. In his latest column at trade publication Ward's Auto World, Drew Winter tries to make the case for the government taking agnostic approach to technology and simply promoting anything that would make a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption. Just given the relative l

At this point, it's no secret that the Chevy Volt and other plug-in vehicles are not going to come cheap. About the least pricey full-speed electric vehicle may very well be the Nissan Leaf, which after incentives may be in the $27-28,000 range before the extra cost of leasing the battery. While the operational costs of these cars should be substantially less than any internal combustion vehicle, customers rarely think that far ahead when signing up for a car loan. That's especially true when ga

At this point, it's no secret that the Chevy Volt and other plug-in vehicles are not going to come cheap. The least-pricey full-speed electric vehicle may very well be the Nissan Leaf, which after incentives might drop into the $27-28,000 range before the extra cost of leasing the battery. While the operational costs of these cars should be substantially less than any internal combustion vehicle, customers rarely think that far ahead when signing up for a car loan. That's especially true when ga

While diesel cars are tremendously popular in Europe, they're not without their drawbacks, especially if they're no as clean as possible. German diesel car drivers, for example, face the threat of an additional road tax of €1.2 per 0.1 liter of engine displacement if their car doesn't have an diesel particulate filter (DPF). Additionally, certain cities, such as Berlin and Hannover are going to ban diesel vehicles without DPFs from city centers. Buying a new car that has a DPF is not a viab

When automakers are throwing thousands of dollars of incentives on the hoods of their wares in an effort to stimulate sales, what good would another $1,500 on a $25,000 car do? As the recent sales numbers show, buyers aren't being taken in by the constant sounding of the "SELL SELL SELL!" klaxon. Great deals on new cars are out there to be had, if only anyone had some money.

Giveth, and taketh away, isn't that always the story? On the taketh away side, GM has recently lost a serious chunk of change. On the giveth side, The General received a $56 milion package of tax credits and grants to keep an SUV factory open in Ohio. It has also just received another package of tax credits from the city of Flint, Michigan to aid its investment in a factory that will build engines for the new Volt and Chevy Cruze. Approved over some constituent disapproval by the Flint City Coun

Let's celebrate the world's innovations in clean transportation technology with... the tax break! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it's back and better than ever, because electric cars aren't good enough on their own - to buy them we need incentives other than saving our planet and livelihood, as well as all those novel little advantages of electric cars, like needing only a two-speed transmission (see Tesla Roadster) if you have one at all, not needing any new refueling infrastructure except

President Bush called on Congress to remove the cap on tax credits for hybrid sales. Only 60,000 vehicles per
manufacturer each year can receive the tax credit up to $3,400, a problem only Toyota Motor Company is facing, since it
sells more than 60,000 vehicles. President Bush urges that removal of the cap will get more fuel saving vehicles on the
road, reducing our “addiction to oil”. The man talks like someone that has been in a 12-step program of
some sort. While I applaud any eff

Since you’re paying a premium for that
hybrid in the garage it’s important to get back every penny of that purchase you’re entitled to. If you
purchased either a Ford Escape or Mercury Mariner Hybrid this year (or any other automaker’s hybrid), next year
you’ll be able to claim some type of tax incentive that ranges anywhere from $1,950 to $5,925 depending on where
you live. Ford dealers now have a direct line to a hybrid hotline set up by the company that will aid